What is a Tribute Band?

Tribute bands are musical acts that perform songs of a particular artist or band, often imitating their style, appearance, and sound. These differ from cover bands, who perform songs of various artists, mostly in their own style. Tribute bands have become increasingly popular in recent years, with many of them performing to sold-out audiences around the world.

One of the positive aspects of tribute bands is that they allow fans to relive the music of their favorite artists, especially those who are no longer active or have passed away. Tribute bands can also be a great way for new fans to discover the music of an artist they may not have been familiar with before.

Some critics argue that tribute bands simply copy the work of other artists and are not creating anything original. Others argue that tribute bands can never truly replicate the experience of seeing the original artist perform live. Before jumping to any conclusions yourself however, I’d recommend checking out any of those I’ve listed below and that I’ve photographed. I have a feeling you’ll be pleasantly surprised!

A few examples of the top grossing tribute bands in the US include:

  1. Bohemian Queen: A Queen tribute from Los Angeles has been performing to sold-out audiences across the country and are known for their top-notch musicianship and stellar frontman who is as comfortable channeling Freddie as he is in his own skin.
  2. E5C4P3: A Journey tribute band, also from California, has been bringing their top tier performance to private and public events across the country since the early ’90’s. The name comes from one of Journey’s most legendary albums which includes the hit single, “Don’t Stop Believin’.”
  3. Britain’s Finest: This Beatles tribute band pays homage to the Fab Four and have been America’s choice for the best Beatles Tribute Band around.

Photographing Tribute Bands

Concert photographers photographing tribute bands have several advantages. Tribute bands often recreate the look and feel of the original band, which can make for visually interesting photographs. Additionally, tribute bands often perform in smaller venues, which can make it easier for photographers to get up close and personal with the performers.

Another advantage is that tribute bands often have a dedicated fan base, which can make it easier for photographers to get their work seen by a wider audience. Photographers can also use offer their work to help promote the band, which can lead to more opportunities for future work with one or more bands.

Here are a few of the tribute bands I’ve been fortunate to photograph.

Wish You Were Here is a tribute band that pays homage to the legendary rock band Pink Floyd. The band has been performing for over 28 years and is known for its authentic and true to sound performances. They have a 10-piece band that recreates music from the entire Pink Floyd library, including whole album recreations from Dark Side Of The Moon, Wish You Were Here, and Animals. Especially fun is the multi-media stage production with moving lights and lasers, vintage videos, and inflatables.

Dark Star Orchestra: This Chicago-based band is known for their ability to recreate the Grateful Dead’s live performances with uncanny accuracy. They have been performing for over 20 years and have played over 3000 shows. The band typically recreates an entire Grateful Dead show from a specific date in the Dead’s history of performances.

Black Jacket Symphony has been recreating classic rock albums live in their entirety, note for note, and sound for sound. They then play a full set of greatest hits from the evening’s featured artist. The group of hand-picked musicians changes based on the album being performed, and no detail is overlooked, with the musicians doing whatever it takes to reproduce the album being played. The two shows I was able to shoot were Queen’s Night at the Opera, and Fleetwood Mac’s Rumors.

Hard Day’s Night is a Beatles tribute band from Cleveland, Ohio that has been entertaining audiences in America and abroad since 1996. The band is known for their full catalogue performances, stitch-for-stitch costume replications, playing authentic Vox, Hofner, Gretsch, Rickenbacker, and Ludwig instruments, and playing the the Beatles’ vast list of songs.

Johnny Cash – The Official Concert Experience is a live concert tour that showcases iconic performances from Johnny Cash’s TV show, The Johnny Cash Show. The concert experience features video performances, words, and stories from the Man in Black himself, backed by a live band with both male and female singers. The tour is produced in collaboration with the Estate of Johnny Cash and features video commentary from his son.

Get The Led Out has been wowing audiences all over the country with their authentic and high-energy performances of one of the greatest rock bands of all time – Led Zeppelin. The band was formed in 2003 and has since been dedicated to bringing the timeless music of Led Zeppelin to fans young and old. I’ve had the opportunity to shoot GTLO twice now and they never cease to put on a crowd favorite performance.

Conclusion

If you’ve never seen a tribute band, you should definitely check one out as you might be surprised by what you hear and see. If concert photography is something you’d like to try, connecting with a tribute band might be a good way to break into it, especially if the band is smaller and less well-known.

I’d love to hear what bands you’ve seen/heard, and if you’ve taken photos share those as well!